My son, Aidan, was six months old when I first had an inkling that he could be autistic. I had finished reading an email from BabyCenter - one of those "Your Baby This Week" letters - about the early warning signs of autism. The email said that babies start spinning objects and stare at them intently and can do it for endless amounts of time. They also line up objects. I looked up at Aidan. Not only had he lined up some blocks on the edge of the coffee table, he was spinning one block and staring at it. It stopped spinning. He spun it again. I called the pediatrician and made an appointment for a consultation. He said that Aidan was too young and I shouldn't worry. Aidan was nine months old and not crawling. He rolled everywhere. The pediatrician said some kids don't crawl at all. One day, Aidan will pull up on the coffee table and stand and then he'll walk. Aidan crawled at 14 months, right after we moved to our townhouse. The pediatrician said perhaps Aidan needed more room to roam around - that he felt cramped in the apartment and didn't need to crawl. Rolling was enough. I love denial, so I ate this reason up. Aidan wasn't interested in pulling up and walking. We decided to put him into physical therapy. He began walking at 19 months. The physical therapist said perhaps Aidan lacks confidence and we have to show him how to walk and do different things. When my daughter, Ava, was born, we were expecting endless sleepless nights, a constantly crying baby and lots of spit-up. Instead, Ava only cried when she wanted food. She wasn't too gassy. She hardly spat up. We said she was an easy baby and didn't give it a second thought. Aidan was just a little firecracker. Then in July 2010, Aidan stopped eating. He only wanted to drink bottles of milk and would cry and cry until we gave him more milk. We called the pediatrician and he saw us right away. He said, "The food aversion, his acid reflux, the gross motor delay, it all adds up to a possible autism spectrum disorder." I cried as soon as he said the word "autism." How I feared that word. I was so careful during my pregnancy. I ate all the right foods. Organic stuff. I didn't visit My husband at work because his office was close to the MRI machines. I didn't take any medication, not even Tylenol. After Aidan was born, he only got organic food, filtered water, and filtered bath water. I thought to myself, "HOW? WHY?" And then I thought, ugh, this pediatrician is wrong. I'll just put Aidan into food therapy and see how things go. Two sessions into food therapy and Aidan was screaming at pudding. He spent one whole Sunday screaming and crying. It was September 2010. I decided to call the school board to evaluate him. A month later, I took Aidan for one of those ADOS tests. The lady who was the Hopkins School Board autism consultant made a cake out of Play-Doh and handed a toy doll to Aidan. She said, "It's Baby's birthday. Let's make her a cake." He didn't help her with the Play-Doh or put candles on the cake. He wasn't interested. Or perhaps he didn't understand. The lady said to me, "Do you want to wait until I see you next week to discuss what we found, or would you like to hear it now?" I was surprised by how blunt she sounded. I knew what she was going to say. I decided to rip off the band-aid. "Now is fine." The lady sighed. "He didn't make eye contact with me. He wasn't interested in imaginary play. I'm so sorry, but I really think he has mild to moderate autism. I really do. I'm so very sorry..." I tuned her out. I was crying too hard to concentrate on anything. I felt like my whole perfect world was crumbling around me. Just devastating. The best description would be like someone ripped my heart out of my chest. It was so painful to hear that. After days of feeling depressed, I decided that Ro and I are our son's only advocates. We needed to start school board therapies right away. We also increased private therapies (occupational and physical) and put Aidan on a gluten-free diet. Now, Aidan talks, he calls me Mommy, he makes eye contact, he sings. In April 2011, we got a medical diagnosis of PDD-NOS, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. Now with the new DSM-V, it's Autism Level 2. His developmental pediatrician likes to call it Autism Light. She said she'd rather say he has Asperger's but cant give him that diagnosis because he doesn't have perfect verbal skills. I Googled "Autism Diagnosis" and the first thing that popped up was the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM). Through their support and programs, I met other parents of kids on the spectrum. They helped teach Aidan how to ride a bike. We've participated in many of their walks. And they also diagnosed me with autism at the age of 37. So I ask you for your support. Any donation is much appreciated, even $5. Also, if you are in town on May 18, come on over to the walk. Links are below. Most companies have a matching gift program: Many companies provide their employees with matching gifts. Please consult your employer on its matching gift guidelines and attach matching gift forms accordingly. Please visit my personal fundraising web page to learn why this cause is so important to me and to make a donation today. You are the power behind the love, and your gift will enhance the lives of people with autism today, and create a spectrum of solutions for tomorrow. Use the link at the bottom to make an online donation – it’s easy, fast and safe. Thanks in advance for your generous support!